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recently, my gf's res suddenly stopped eating. its been 4 days since he last ate. the last thing he ate was a piece of cooked chicken, and since then has ignored his normal shrimp and turtle pellet feedings. also hes been basking a lot lately, and seems to be taken huge breaths when he breaths. from wut i read in the forums and info links, he has Respitory infection.
she just moved him into a smaller tank, with warm water (about an inch deep now) and basking lamp. we presently don't have enough money for a visit to the vet, but do you guys know nething we can do for the time being? nething that would help? will he eat soon? are any antibiotics available?
ne help would be greatly appreciated!! plzz,
thanks guyz

w/o a vets attention, RES rarely get better on their own.

you can bump the water temp up to about 80 if it isnt already..that will help him fight it, but it will NOT cure him. Get him to a vet asap!

yea the temp is already pretty high, 80-85 degrees.
i know the vet would be the best bet, but theres nothing else one can do to battle RI? someone mentioned feeding a res that doesnt eat strong odouress food? are you sure they won't get better on their own?

Yes, I'm sure RES don't get better on their own. You need to get him to the vet. Having a pet is a lot like having a child. You must be prepared to spend money for medical care when needed...and he needs it. Now. Getting him to eat is secondary. He'll eat when he starts to feel better...but that won't be until after you get him to the vet.

If you don't have the money, you'll probably be able to work out a payment plan. Lots of vets will do that because they care more about the animals than the money. But you need to try.

hmm, alright
i didn' tknow about these payment plans, i guess ill look into it. thnx for the advice. ill let you know how it goes soon.

Good luck!

If he were still eating, that would be a very good sign and keeping him warm (water 80-82F and basking area about 90F) and out of drafts would boost his immune system and help him fight infection. Some turtles can make it this way, but great care has to be taken to make sure conditions are perfect for them; even then, if the infection is not killed totally, it could become chronic, which is why taking them to a vet is often the best thing to do for them.

YAY! squirts eating again! he also stopped breathing like he did before. we were considering seeing a vet soon but now that his condition seems to be improving, we'll wait a couple more days.
thanks for the input everyone!